Heated element



Aug. l0 1926. 1,595,799

H. R. MASSINGHAM HEATED ELEMENT Filed August 16, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 @dw/51W- Alfil Patented Aug. 10, 1926.

UNITED STATES rPATENT` OFFICE.

HENRY ROGERS MASSINGHAM, OF LA GRANGE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION 0F HEATED ELEMENT.

Application filed August 16, 1924. Serial No. 732.368.

This invention relates to -heated elements and to means for mounting them, and more particularly to electrically heated elements employed in a mechanism for severing and removing insulation from a conductor.

An object of vthe invention is to provide an improved heated element having a poi'- tion adapted to be heated to a substantially uniform temperature throughout, and means for mounting the element in such manner that it will notbuckle or become deformed when it expands and contracts in response to variations in the temperature thereof.

One form of the invention is embodied in apparatus of the type shown and described in the copending application, Serial No. 513,328, filed November 7, 1921, by Levinger and Balduf for removing the insulating coverings from the ends of insulated conductors. The improved apparatus com` prises electrically heated elements of improved form supported upon means which permit the elements to expand and contract without yinjury thereto.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the detailed dcscription progresses, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Fig. 1 is a vertical section taken through apparatus embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Y

ig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 ofr Fig. 1

Fig. 74 illustrates another `form which the invention may take, and

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line Fig. 4. f f

In the drawings, 10 is a frame or support mounted upon a bench or other suitable supporting means 13. One portion of the frame 10 is enlarged to provide a flat guide surface 19 upon which rides a block 20. The block 20 is secured to a vertically disposed operating rod 22 by a pin 25. The operating rod 22 may be connected by any Suitable means (not shown) to a suitable foot pedal or other operating means (not shown). A helical compression spring 28 disposed around the operating rod 22 tends to urge the rod 22 into a position wherein it holds the block 2O against a member 31 projecting'forwardfrom the guide surface 19. The rod 22 projects through the member 31. A plurality of adjusting nuts 32 threaded onto the upper end oi" the rod 22 are adapted to limit downward movement of the block 20. Mounted in the frame 10 are sup ports or rails 33 upon which ride a plurality of carriages 34, a carriage 34 being provided for each of a pair of heated elements Each carriage 34 is equipped with a pin 38 having a rectangular portion 39 adapted to ride in one of a plurality oi cani slots 40 formed in the block 2O (Fig. 3). T he cam slots 4() are so designed that upon a slight movement downward of the block 20 the rectangular shaped portions 39 of the pins 38 will be moved toward each other thereby moving the carriages 34 in the same direction. f

Mounted in front of each carriage 34 is an insulating block 41 having shoulders upon which rest a plurality of conductors for connecting the elements 35 with any suitable source of electrical energy (not shown) whereby the elements may be heated .to a suitable temperature, the elements being wired in series. The supply leads are indicated at 43 and 44 and the connecting lead' at 45. The supply leads 43 and 44 are connected to the heated elements 35 by cop per terminal blocks 46 upon which the lower endssof the elements are supported and to which they are secured by screws 47. The upper ends of the elements are supported upon a plurality of L-shaped terminal blocks 8() to which they are secured by screws 81. Mounted upon the upper end of each insulating block 41 is a terminal block 82 against which one surface of the terminal blocks 8O normally rests. s Each terminal block 80 is provided with a plurality of guide pins 84 which are slidably journaled in the associated terminalfblock 82. It is obvious that this construction permits the terminal blocks 80 to move upwardly when the elements 35 expand and permits them to return to their normal positions when the elements contract. This makes it unneces-v sary for the elements to buckle when they expand and Vis exceedingly advantageous in that the elements will become permanently deformed it they buckle when expanding.

Each terminal block 80 is electrically con nected to its associated terminal block 82 by ymeans ofy a laminated conductor 85 which has one of its ends secured to the terminal blockS() and the other of its ends secured to the associated terminal block 82. The

ends of the connecting' lead ll5 contact witl the rear surfaces ot the terminal blocks 82. The supply leads 43 and st connected to a plurality ot main supply leads heus l into an auxiliary casingl 62, one ot the mani supply leads being indicated at GO. The main supply leads are preterably connected to the source ot electrical energy by a circuit (not shown) which includes a rlieostat (not shown) adapted to control the teniperature ot the elements Engaging the trout surface of each terminal bloclt and the trent surface ot its associated terminal block S2 is an insulatingf cap 5l made ot mica and mounted thereon is a. steel cap lrassing through the steel cap 52, the mica cap 5l, and the insulatingl block il, and l into the block threaded 2O is a screw 53 for clamping;` the terminal blocks #i6 and S2 in place on the insulatii bloclt l-l with the ends oit the lends 43. and interposed their1 etween.

is indicated in Figs. i and Q. the elements are blades which may be composed oitl any suitable metal or alloy and are slotted wherev they are secured to the terminal blocks lo and 80 by the screws and Si,

respectively. to facilitate me renewal ot tl e elements in the event that they are Jurned out. vEach heated element 1 mprises two portions 8? reduced area and a portion 8S intermediate the reduced portions1 8T and ot a cross-sectional area lit-.v 'than that ot either of the reduced portions. The purpose ot" this construction is to prevent av narrow portion oi the element substantially midway between its @nos from rising; to an excessively high temperature as conipared with immediately adjacent portions ot the element. ln practice it has been iound advantageous to have a comparatively long portion of the element rise to the desired temperature as this permits the ir snlating covering to be severed quickly and easily. rEhe narrow portions Si tend to liecome heated to a high temperature. but the heat is dissipated into the intermediate portion 8S in such manner that it assumes throughout its length the saine temperature as the reduced portions S?.

The operation ot' the apparatus tor moving' the carriages 3l to .yard and away `'from each other is substantially lilie that ot the appiratus disclosed in the aforementioned copending application tor moving sid-stan tially identical carriages toward and a from h other. Brieily, in the oper the mechanism the adjust. the ai'foremcntioned rheostat shown) are tirst adjusted. The rheostat is adjust d for the desired amount oi heat, the correct temperature being reached when the elements are heated to a cherr. red. lfhe operator then places one end ot 'an insulated conductor between the eieinents 55, the insulated conductor so introduced between the elements beingl the one from which a p0rtion et the insulating covering is to be removed. The operating' rod 2 2 is moved dov-.'nward by means ot the toot pedal not shown) and this downward movement ot' the rod causes the rectangular portions 39 to move toward each other. This movement o t the rectangular portions 3) is accompanied by a like movement of the carriages 8l which bring the heated elements 35 into engagement with the insulating covering;` on the conductor inserted between them. The operator then gives the conductor a slight twist and withdraws it from between the elements. rlhe twist burns a d ove in the insulation upon the conductor ind the withdrawing movement seyers and strips the insulation from the end oi the conductor. rl`he means for supporting the elements 35 are adapted to hold'the elements $35 rig-idly in their operative positions dur ing the witlidrawing movement so that the elements will not tend to follow the conductor a. it is withdrawn. Then the operating rod 22 releised, the springT QS returns the apparatus to its normal position.

Figs. l and 5 illustrate another torni of the invention which is embodied in apparatus also comilnising a plurality ot' carriages Si, adapted to ride upon a plurality of rails 33 and which may be mored toward or away from each other by mechanism (not shown) substantially identical with the mechanism employed for actuating the carriages 53.4- in the apparatus shown in Figs. l to 3, inclusive. Each carriage 34 is provided with an insulating block Ll1 havingr shoulders adapted to accommodate the conductors ier connecting the elements with a suitable source ot electrical current. The elements are substantially identical with the elements as shown in Figs. 1 to 3. inclusive, and are included in a circuit adapted to bring them to ya suitable temperature. The lower end of each element 35 is supported upon a copper terminal block 90 and is secured thereto by means of -a screw 91. 'lne upper end ot each element S5 is pivwally secured by a screw 92 to the tree end et a copper terminal hlocl; 93 pivotally secured by means ol a screw Q-l. to the aSSO- cifited insulating' block ill. The copper terr minals t3 are electrically interconnected by the laminated connectingl lead 45 which is suliiciently flexible to permit the terminals to be displaced with respect to each other. The suppl;v leads #i3 and il have their ends clamped between the terminal blocks 90 and the insulating blocks del. The means for so elampingl the ends of the terminals 43 and fl-l between the terminal blocks 90 and the insulating blocks 4:1 is substantially identical with the corresponding means shown and described in Figs. 1 to 3,inelusive.

In ythat form of the invention which is disclosed in Figs. 4 and 5, the heated elements may expand and contract without permanent injury thereto, it being understood that as the elements expand the copper terminal blocks 93 will be angularly dislaced to compensate for the increase in ength of the elements. In a like manner, the terminal blocks 93 will permit the elements 35 to contract to their normal lengths when the apparatus is not in use.

lVhat is claimed is:

1. In a mechanism for removing the insulating coverin from a conductor, a plurality of heate elements disposed in opposed relation, a plurality of means for independently supporting the elements and permitting their free expansion and contraction due to changes intemperature thereof, and means for moving the supported elements into engagement with and thereby severing the insulating covering of a conductor.

2. In a mechanism for removing the insulating covering from a conductor, irrotationally movable carriages, burning elements, means for supporting said vburning elements upon said carriages comprising terminal blocks having portions freely movable in response to eX ansion and contraction of the burning eements due to temperature changes therein, current leads for said blocks, insulating means between said terminal blocks and carriages, and means for clamping said leads to said blocks and the whole to said carriages.

3. In a mechanism for removing the insulating covering from a conductor, a pair of oppositely disposed burning elements, carriages therefor, means for mounting the elements on the carriages designed to permit the free expansion and contraction of the elements in response to temperature changes, means for moving said carriages in opposite directions to clamp an insulated conductor between the burning elements, and electrical terminals for conducting electrical current to the elements through the mounting means therefor to heat the elements and thereby sever the insulating covering on the conductor.

4. In a mechanism for removing the insulating covering from a conductor, a pair of carriages, a burning element for eachv carriage, means for attaching each element to the carriage therefor designed so that one end of the elementmoves freely in response to expansion and contraction ofthe element due to temperature changes, rails upon which said carriages are adapted to move, means for moving the carriages along the rails to clamp an insulated conductor between the burning elements carried by the carriages, andmeans for connecting the elements with a source of electrical current to heat the'elements and thereby sever the insulation of the conductor.

5. In a mechanism for severing an article, an clement comprising a plurality of spaced portions and a portion integral with and interconnecting the spaced portions, the connecting portion having a greater crosssectional area than one of the spaced portions, and means for including the portions in series in an electric circuit whereby the portions are heated to Substantially uniform temperature. 4

6. In a mechanism for severing an article, an element comprising a plurality of spaced portions and an intermediate portion of greater cross-sectional area than either oit' the spaced portions and connecting the spaced portions, and means for subjecting the clement to an electric current to heat the spaced and intermediate portions to a predetermined temperature.

7 In a mechanism for removing insulating covering from a conductor, an electrically heated element comprising a plurality yof portions of reduced cross-sectional areaso designed and spaced apart as to insure umtorm heating through the portionintermediate said reduced portions, and meansr for causing a relative movement between the element and an insulated conductor to bring the insulation of the conductor and the element into engagement thereby severing the insulation.

8. In a mechanism for removing the insulating covering from a conductor, a burning element comprising a plurality of spaced portions and a portion integral with and interconnecting these spaced portions, the interconnecting portion having a greater crosssectional areal than one of the spaced portions, a support for the element, means for mounting the element thereon, said means designed to permit the free expansion and contraction of the element in response to temperature kchanges therein, means for connecting the element with a source of electrical current to heat the interconnecting portion thereof to a predetermined temperature throughout, and means for causing a relative movement between the element and an insulated conductor to bring thek insulation thereof and the element into engagement tov sever' the insulation.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 2nd day of August A. D., 1924.

HENRY ROGERS MASSINGHAM.

.......ma ...uw www... 

